Over the past several years, thermo-plastic bushings have burst onto the cycling scene incontrovertibly. Both frame and component manufacturers are curious to see whether the durability reports are true. The technology has garnered healthy debate over the years due to perceived limitations, but where the conditions are right, the plastic bushing wins big.

Crankbrothers athletes pedal to the podium on igus

Crankbrothers, a recent adopter of the igus plastic bushing, has seen dramatic increases in the durability of its pedals due to the addition of the interior igus bushing. The business has expanded the use over its entire pedal line from the eggbeaters to the burly Mallet E, even designing them into their Highline seatpost. The igus LL plastic bushing is called out on the exploded view of the pedal on the back of their packaging. The success of the new design is evident through the achievements of its riders, such as: Greg Minnar, Danny Hart, Loic Bruni, Danny MacAskill, Rachel Atherton, Martin Maes, Yoann Barelli, Bernard Kerr and Loris Vergie.

ibis RIPMO gets a new link with igus bushing treatment
ibis has taken its new frame design to another level. The design combines exciting aspects from the Ripley 29er trail bike with the aggressive angles of its enduro monster, the Mojo HD4. On this new crossover, ibis decided to deploy igus thermos-plastic bushings at its lower link frame pivot points. In his review of the new ibis Ripmo, Jayden Welch of FANATIK Bike Co sheds some light on the decision, stating, “If used in the right places, bushings are actually lower maintenance, stiffer, lighter, and more affordable than bearings. Bushings work better than ball bearings in applications with high loads and minimal rotation, which describes most mountain bike pivots.” This isn’t ibis’ first spin with the igus bushings, as they have employed the bushings over the past five years on the Ripley. Welch goes on to explain,

“High loads and minimal rotation describe the Ripmo lower link pivots so they’ve introducing a new link featuring igus bushings. The new link is 80g lighter than its ball bearing equipped equivalent, while also being torsionally stiffer. The bushings are shielded from spray and protected by airtight seals and will last a long time. ibis is so confident in their bushing/bearing system that they are offering free lifetime replacements.”

DVO increases bushing life with shock eyelet bushing from igus
Maximizing service life and performance is paramount with any shock or suspension component. DVO Developed Suspension used igus flanged bushings, or eyelet bushings (2 per eyelet), to mount its shocks to all full suspension bike frames. The benefits of moving to this solution include increased contamination resistance, reduced maintenance, lower cost and increased ease of replacement.

Quiet sprockets for e-bikes made of high-performance plastics

When designing their bikes, E-bike designers are constantly looking to enhance their technology. For E-bike designer Lars Hartmann of Reichshof, Germany, the excessive noise of his bicycle drivetrain was unacceptable. A metal sprocket acted as a guide roller on the chain so that it does not collide with the frame. However, the metal sprocket caused a loud noise during operation. Looking for a solution, Hartmann turned to the 3D printing service from igus. He sent the CAD data of the sprocket to igus and received a custom-made solution within a few days. The engineer stated, “The standard metal pinion generates a lot of noise when in use. I drew it and had it printed by igus from iglide I3. Ordering and procuring the part was easy and fast. With the 3D printing service, the appropriate data could be uploaded as a STEP file, the material was selected and the desired quantity ordered.” The sprockets have been in use for three months in two bikes, and the noise level has been noticeably minimized. Hartmann is extremely pleased.

igus to bring a fully kitted bike and more to Interbike 2018

See the bushings firsthand on the igus bike! igus will be bringing a full suspension carbon fiber 29er that has been outfitted with 25 of its thermo-plastic bushings. Components using this technology include seat dropper posts, fork frame linkage, derailleur, pedals, and more. Click here to see more on the igus bike. igus will also showcase its self-lubricating linear bearing systems that have been used in bike fit systems, as well as seat adjustments in less conventional style bikes.

igus
www.igus.com